"I can't believe it," Line said. "This doesn't seem
real. It's been coming but now that it's finally happened I don't
even know what to say."

Line needed to earn 20 more points than teammate and three-time defending
category champ Greg Anderson to clinch the crown and accomplished
that in a head-to-head meeting in the semifinals. The championship
is the fourth in a row for Las Vegas-based team owner Ken Black.

"It's bittersweet to clinch it against Greg," said Line,
who has earned four victories in eight final rounds this season in
his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO. "He's the man. He's my champion.
I love the guy and to me he'll always be the man. If not for him giving
me the chance to drive in the first place, I wouldn't be standing
here. To keep the championship within the team is huge. There is a
huge group of people responsible for what happens on the racetrack
and this championship will be shared by all of us. It's a great group
that Ken has put together and I'm proud to be a part of it."

Schumacher charged back into the Top Fuel championship chase with
his fourth win of the year, this one over J.R. Todd. He is now 45
points behind Doug Kalitta. Schumacher was slightly upset that he
didn't set a world record in the final, which would have put him 20
points closer to the lead. Still, his 4.469 at 313.58 mph in the U.S.
Army dragster was more than enough to beat Todd, who posted a 4.550
at 320.81 mph in his Skull Shine dragster.

"We picked up 44 points today," Schumacher said. "If
we do that again in Pomona I (will) lose the championship by one point,"
Schumacher said. "That's why the record was so important for
us to get. I don't mean to be disappointed, but we wanted it so much.
It's still a big win. That was probably the biggest win light of my
career."

Beckman was thrilled to score his first win in just four professional
starts. The cancer survivor and drag racing school instructor drove
away from Tommy Johnson Jr.'s tire-smoking Skoal Chevy Monte Carlo
to win the Funny Car trophy with a 4.783 at 327.19 mph in his Matco
Tools Dodge Charger. Beckman took over the seat of his ride from Whit
Bazemore just four races ago.

"One of the things about drag racing is that it will eat you
alive if you let the lows get to you, so I want to temper myself on
this high," Beckman said. "I always said I want to be a
dignified racer and accept defeat and victory equally but I kind of
blew the roof off that deal just now. It was just such a feeling."

John Force added 27 points to his Funny Car lead over Ron Capps and
will now carry a 71-point advantage into the final race of the season
at Pomona, Calif. Robert Hight is two points behind Capps in third.
Both Capps and Hight lost in the first round. Hight's Auto Club Ford
Mustang broke on the burnout.

A 20-1 longshot with the local oddsmakers, Stevens rewarded the true
believers with a big Pro Stock win over new champ Line. The first
professional graduate of the Junior Drag Racing League to win a national
event, Stevens earned this one at the Christmas Tree, posting a pair
of .007-second lights earlier in the day and his stellar .002 in the
final to claim his sixth Wally.

Line had the better car, running a 6.735 at 204.57 mph in his Summit
Racing GTO. But his sluggish .090-second light allowed Mopar pro Stevens
to win with a 6.789 at 202.85 mph in his Team Mopar Dodge Stratus.

"We had a great day," Stevens said. "I knew I had
to be on the Tree with the guys I was racing and I guess I pulled
it off. Three double-oh lights is pretty good and like I always say,
when it's your day to win one of these things it's your day no matter
what."

Back-to-back defending Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Hines regained
the points lead at the perfect time by riding through a tough field
on his Harley-Davidson and beating teammate GT Tonglet in the final
round. Hines went from 27 points back to 37 ahead of Antron Brown
with his third victory of the season and eighth of his career.

"Every point seems so crucial this year," Hines said. "It
was tough the first time we won because they added weight to us in
the middle of the season. This year they gave the Suzukis more cubic
inches and they've been right there with us. It's hard to compare
but this season has been the toughest. If we hold on now and win it
all it will be special."

Hines looked every bit the rider that won the last two championships
Sunday, posting the quickest pass of each elimination round as he
mowed down Tom Bradford, Brown, Ryan Schnitz, and Tonglet with a 7.080
at 188.65 mph on his Harley-Davidson V-Rod.

In Pro Mod, Troy Critshy defeated the newly crowned 2006 AMS Pro
Mod champ Jay Payne. Payne crossed the center line at the 330. Critchley
would have been tough anyway as he ran another '0, this time a 6.09/235
. Critchley finished up in 5th place in the standings. It was his
first even win in the AMS point series (he previously won the shootout
event) .

The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series makes its final stop of the
season, Nov. 9-12, with the 42nd annual Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto
Club Raceway at Pomona in Southern California.

Sunday's final results from the Sixth annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA
Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The $1.8 million
race is the 22nd of 23 in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing
Series --

Fuller got a .013 holeshot but was behind at the sixty foot marker
through 200 feet. He retook the lead and stayed out in front by a
couple thou until just past the 1000 foot marker. It was there that
the blower belt exited the pullys and he slowed alllowing Kallita
to eke out a cr length victory. With such a small magrin difference
at the 1000 foot marker, it is tough to tell if Kallita had enough
horses to pull in front of Fuller, had the blower belt not come off.

The win gives Kallita the enviable shot of a double up and extending
his point lead if he should win the race on Sunday.

Shootout particiapnts set after final spot drawing at the Hard
Rock

LAS VEGAS -- The eight-car field for the lucrative Budweiser Shootout
was set on Thursday evening during a draw party at The Joint in the
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. David Baca, who drives the Mach 1 dragster,
was the lucky No. 8 wild card spot winner among the eight Top Fuel
drivers eligible for the position.
The Budweiser Shootout, a special race-within-a-race bonus event that
pays the winner $100,000 is contested annually during the ACDelco
Las Vegas NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The first-round begins at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, with rounds to follow
at 3:15 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Baca will face Budweiser Shootout No. 1 qualifier Tony Schumacher
in the opening round. Schumacher, who raced to a record 13 No. 1 qualifying
positions during the Shootout series in his U.S. Army dragster to
claim the top spot, is looking for his second consecutive Shootout
victory. It is the third year for the new qualifying format and the
first time that a driver other than the original No. 8 qualifier for
the Budweiser Shootout gained entry to the bonus event via the wild
card position. Baca was 12th in the final point standings.

If a driver wins the Budweiser Shootout and the ACDelco Las Vegas
NHRA Nationals, he will earn a $50,000 double-up bonus from NHRA,
bringing his potential winnings for the weekend to nearly $200,000.

In honor of the 25th anniversary of the Budweiser Shootout, Budweiser
saluted many of its past champions from Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro
Stock Shootouts. Those honored on stage and with a video tribute included
Joe Amato, winner of a record six Top Fuel Shootouts; Kenny Bernstein,
the only driver in NHRA history to win both Top Fuel and Funny Car
Shootouts; Shelly (Anderson) Payne, the only female driver to ever
win an NHRA bonus event in a pro category; John Force; Frank Pedregon;
Tom McEwen; and Larry Morgan.

LAS VEGAS - If you were waiting for a big surprise, you can stop
holding your breath. Micah Roberts, veteran oddsmaker for Station
Casinos in Las Vegas, has set the odds for Sunday's NHRA ACDelco Las
Vegas Nationals finals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and
the
obvious favorites sit atop the list once again.
Tony Schumacher, driver of the U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster, is
favored at 3-to-1. Thirteen-time Funny car champion (and TV star)
John
Force is listed at 5-to-2 and Pro Stock dominator Jason Line (who
could
clinch the championship in Las Vegas) sits atop the doorslammer heap
at
an unattractive 5-to-8. Schumacher also is favored to win Saturday's
Bud Shootout, 2-to-1.
Las Vegas' Rod Fuller looks to be a bargain at 6-to-1, while
last year's Funny Car winner, Cruz Pedregon, is set at 15-to-1.
Tickets for the Oct. 26-29 NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals at
The Strip at LVMS - including Saturday's Bud Shootout - may be purchased
at the LVMS ticket office, by telephone at (702) 644-444 or online
at
www.LVMS.com.